Bankless The State of Authoritarian Tech | Steven Feldstein
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Oct 2, 2025 Steven Feldstein, a senior fellow at Carnegie focusing on technology and human rights, delves into the dark world of authoritarian tech. He discusses the alarming rise of surveillance tools, algorithmic censorship, and AI-driven policing globally. Feldstein shares insights on how protesters in Nepal creatively leveraged encryption to organize against government censorship, and warns that AI's predictive policing poses serious risks. He also highlights the role of cryptocurrencies as a means of resistance, underlining the intricate relationship between technology and modern repression.
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Platforms Should Draw A Rights-Based Line
- Refuse to customize platforms to authoritarian demands and exit markets that force complicity.
- Uphold universal free-expression principles even if that means withdrawing from repressive jurisdictions.
Vendors Powering Repression
- NSO Group sells targeted spyware used against journalists and politicians, showing the private spyware market's abuses.
- Hikvision and Huawei supply public surveillance hardware like facial-recognition cameras used in 'safe city' projects.
Law Lags Tech In Democracies
- Democracies lag because law and societal consensus haven't caught up to rapid tech changes.
- Political polarization makes it harder to build guardrails for surveillance and AI use.
